Ypsilanti Historical Society
A Michigan historical society that operates the Ypsilanti Historical Museum and the Rudisill-Fletcher-White Archives.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The Ypsilanti Historical Society is a local historical organization founded in 1961 in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Its principal public activities are the preservation, interpretation, and sharing of the history of Ypsilanti and surrounding communities. The Society operates the Ypsilanti Historical Museum and the Rudisill-Fletcher-White Archives at 220 North Huron Street, in the Historic 1860 Dow House, a Victorian Italianate residence built for Asa and Minerva Dow. The Dow House is itself a major part of the Society’s interpretive work. Asa Dow moved to Ypsilanti to become the first president of Ypsilanti Savings Bank. After Minerva Dow’s death in 1864, Asa sold the house and returned to Chicago. The building later experienced a period of decline and was divided into at least six apartments after 1922. The City of Ypsilanti acquired the property in 1966 as part of a proposed redevelopment scheme for North Huron Street. Local opposition to that plan helped stimulate the creation of the Ypsilanti Historic District. The Historical Society obtained the house in 1970 and subsequently adapted it for museum and archival use. The museum presents the building as a traditional house museum, using period-oriented rooms to explain domestic life and local history. Exhibits include an approximately 1880s parlor, a late-1920s sitting room, a dining room, an early twentieth-century kitchen, a second-floor bedroom, and an original solarium. The library includes a Tiffany Studios stained-glass window that originally came from the Starweather Ladies Library building nearby. These spaces combine architectural preservation with displays about the people, institutions, and everyday life of Ypsilanti. The Society’s archival work expanded substantially over time. Its Rudisill-Fletcher-White Archives contain records relating to Ypsilanti city and township history, Eastern Michigan University, the Willow Run Bomber Plant, Lincoln Consolidated Schools, and Ypsilanti Community Schools. Materials include family Bibles, maps, atlases, city and county directories, postcards, yearbooks, obituaries, newspaper clippings, newspapers on microfilm, tax assessment rolls, and civil and criminal court dockets. The collection also incorporates material transferred from the former Ypsilanti City Archives after the city historian position was discontinued. In 2007, the archives moved from the property’s carriage house into a renovated basement in the main residence. The facility includes a meeting room, reading room, document and photograph storage, and a controlled environment for preservation. The archives’ work has been shaped by former Ypsilanti city historians Louis S. White and Foster Fletcher, and the facility was later renamed to recognize Alvin Rudisill, a former Society president who helped secure funding for the archives. The organization also supports public access through digitization. In collaboration with the University of Michigan Library’s Digital Library Production Service, the Ypsilanti Historical Society Photo Archives made more than 17,500 Ypsilanti-related photographs available online. Its quarterly publication, Ypsilanti Gleanings, has appeared since 1973 and serves as a continuing outlet for local historical research, interpretation, and community memory. The publication received a 2009 State History Award from the Historical Society of Michigan for communications involving newsletters and websites. The Society is also a member of the MotorCities National Heritage Area. Its overall role is that of a community-based museum, archive, publisher, and heritage-preservation institution rather than a commercial consumer brand.
History
The Ypsilanti Historical Society was established in 1961 to preserve and interpret the history of Ypsilanti, Michigan, and its surrounding area. Its institutional home is the Historic 1860 Dow House at 220 North Huron Street. The Victorian Italianate house was constructed for Asa and Minerva Dow. Asa became the first president of Ypsilanti Savings Bank after moving to the city, while Minerva later became the second person buried in the newly established Highland Cemetery after her death in 1864. Asa subsequently sold the property and returned to Chicago. The building had deteriorated by the twentieth century and was converted into at least six apartments after 1922. In 1966, the City of Ypsilanti purchased the house and several other prominent homes on North Huron Street as part of a proposed redevelopment concept modeled in part on Ann Arbor’s Arborland. Community opposition, including a boycott, contributed to the emergence of the Ypsilanti Historic District. The Historical Society acquired the Dow House in 1970 and began using it as a museum and organizational center. The museum preserves the house’s architecture while presenting rooms arranged to evoke different periods and aspects of domestic life. Its displays include an 1880s-style parlor, a late-1920s sitting room, a dining room, an early twentieth-century kitchen, a bedroom, a solarium, and a library. The solarium retains original features designed to regulate plant conditions, including a slatted floor and roof vent. The library contains a Tiffany Studios stained-glass window that was originally installed in the nearby Starweather Ladies Library building. The Society’s archival mission developed alongside its museum work. The Rudisill-Fletcher-White Archives document Ypsilanti city and township history, Eastern Michigan University, the Willow Run Bomber Plant, local school systems, and neighboring communities. The holdings include photographs, family Bibles, maps, atlases, directories, postcards, yearbooks, obituaries, newspaper clippings, microfilmed newspapers, tax records, and civil and criminal dockets. Materials produced or collected by former Ypsilanti city historians Louis S. White and Foster Fletcher form an important part of the collection. After the city historian position ended with Foster Fletcher’s retirement, city archival materials were transferred from the Ypsilanti Public Library to the Historical Society. In 2007, the archives moved from the Dow House carriage house to a renovated basement in the main building. The redesigned facility provided a reading room, meeting space, filing and storage areas, and environmental controls for sensitive collections. The archives were later associated with Alvin Rudisill, a former Society president who played an important role in raising funds for the facility. Public access is a central element of the Society’s work. Through cooperation with the University of Michigan Library’s Digital Library Production Service, the Society’s Photo Archives placed more than 17,500 digitized photographs relating to Ypsilanti online. The quarterly publication Ypsilanti Gleanings, established in 1973, extends the organization’s educational role through local-history articles and community documentation. It received a 2009 State History Award from the Historical Society of Michigan for communications. The organization is also a member of the MotorCities National Heritage Area. Together, the museum, archives, publication, and digital collections make the Society a long-running civic institution for preserving and interpreting Ypsilanti’s built, social, industrial, educational, and family history.
- 2009
Ypsilanti Gleanings receives a State History Award
[1]The Historical Society of Michigan recognized the publication in its communications category for newsletters and websites.
- 2007
Archives move into renovated Dow House facilities
[1]The archives moved from the carriage house to a renovated basement in the main residence, adding dedicated research and preservation spaces.
- 1973
Ypsilanti Gleanings begins publication
[1]The Society launched its quarterly local-history publication, which continues to provide an outlet for research and community historical documentation.
- 1970
Society takes possession of the Dow House
[1]The Ypsilanti Historical Society acquired the 1860 residence and established it as the setting for its museum and archival activities.
- 1966
City acquires the Dow House
[1]The City of Ypsilanti purchased the historic property during a proposed North Huron Street redevelopment effort; local opposition helped encourage the later creation of the Ypsilanti Historic District.
- 1961
Ypsilanti Historical Society founded
[1]The organization was established to preserve and interpret the history of Ypsilanti and nearby communities.
Photo Archives digitized for public access
[1]In partnership with the University of Michigan Library’s Digital Library Production Service, the Society made more than 17,500 Ypsilanti-related photographs available digitally.
Products and positioning
A community-centered historical institution combining a preserved nineteenth-century house museum, a research archive, digitization initiatives, and public local-history publishing.
Museum and house museum · 1970
Ypsilanti Historical Museum
A museum housed in the Historic 1860 Dow House. Its rooms are interpreted as period domestic spaces, including an 1880s parlor, late-1920s sitting room, dining room, early twentieth-century kitchen, bedroom, solarium, and library. The building itself is a primary artifact, while furnishings and architectural details help explain Ypsilanti’s residential and civic history.
Historical archive · 2007
Rudisill-Fletcher-White Archives
The Society’s principal research archive documents Ypsilanti city and township history, Eastern Michigan University, the Willow Run Bomber Plant, local schools, families, newspapers, and civic institutions. It includes photographs, maps, directories, newspapers, obituaries, tax records, court dockets, yearbooks, and other documentary materials. The facility provides a reading room, meeting space, storage systems, and environmentally controlled preservation storage.
Digital archive
Ypsilanti Historical Society Photo Archives
A digitized photograph collection created through collaboration with the University of Michigan Library’s Digital Library Production Service. The online resource provides public access to more than 17,500 images relating to Ypsilanti and its communities, extending the Society’s preservation and educational work beyond the physical museum.
Historical publication · 1973
Ypsilanti Gleanings
A quarterly publication issued by the Society since 1973. It presents local-history research and community historical material and is available in searchable digital form through the Internet Archive and the Society’s website.
Marketing campaigns
- Ypsilanti Historical Society Photo Archives digitization
Ypsilanti · United States · Online
The Society collaborated with the University of Michigan Library’s Digital Library Production Service to digitize and publish more than 17,500 photographs related to Ypsilanti.
Outcome. The photographs became available to the public online, broadening access to the Society’s collections.
Brand decisions
2007
Consolidation and modernization of archival facilitiesStrategyBackground
The Society’s archival materials had been held in the property’s two-story carriage house, while its collections and public research needs continued to expand.
Action taken
The Society moved the archives into a renovated basement in the Dow House and equipped the space with a reading room, meeting area, filing capacity, and controlled storage conditions.
Aftermath
The relocation created a more suitable environment for preservation, research, and public access. The facility became associated with former president Alvin Rudisill after his role in supporting its funding.
- Expansion into digital public accessStrategy
Background
The Society held a substantial collection of historical photographs and other records whose educational value could be increased through online access.
Action taken
It worked with the University of Michigan Library’s Digital Library Production Service to digitize and publish more than 17,500 photographs.
Aftermath
The project extended the Society’s reach beyond its physical museum and archives and made a significant portion of its visual-history holdings available to the public online.
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